Supporting Mental Health and Integration: Long-Term Solutions for Displaced Ukrainians in Sweden

We’re proud to share that Better You & Me by Hug (Ukraine), a project born out of care, necessity, and love, has been recognized by Delmi - The Migration Studies Delegation - a trusted voice in Swedish migration policy and research.For us, this isn’t just about recognition.It’s about being seen.It’s about the stories of Ukrainians 🇺🇦 who fled war and fear, who arrived in Sweden not just needing shelter - but needing to feel human again. Whole again.And it’s about knowing that what we do matters - not only to those we walk with every day, but now also to those who shape the future of integration and wellbeing in Sweden.

This project - led with heart and wisdom by Viktoriia Svidovska (PhD in Pedagogical Sciences) and Yaroslava Shven (PhD in Psychology) - has always been more than a service. It’s been a lifeline. A soft landing. A quiet space to exhale.Because we believe:

• Mental health is the beginning of everything.
• Belonging is the foundation of real integration.
• Healing must come before rebuilding.

This recognition from Delmi is an honour. But more than that — it’s a responsibility.

To keep going. To keep listening. To keep building a Sweden where newcomers are not just received, but truly welcomed - with empathy, support, and dignity.To Anna Hammarstedt and Henrik Malm Lindberg — thank you for your guidance and thoughtful review.

To Delmi — thank you for trusting in our work and in the people we serve.

To Mariya Melnyk 🇺🇦 Nadiia Kvasha Eliza Kravchenko Yehor Suslenko - you are the reason this project lives, breathes, and makes a difference.To everyone who has walked this journey with us - your stories shape this project.And your courage gives it meaning. We carry this milestone in our hearts — and continue the work with even greater care.

Better You & Me is just getting started.And we’re not walking alone.

This Policy Brief summarizes findings from the Better You&Me project, conducted within the non-governmental organization (NGO) Help Ukraine Gothenburg (HUG) between 2023 and 2025. The main aim of the project is to support the mental health and integration of displaced Ukrainians in Sweden. The findings suggest that mental health and integration are closely interconnected, and that comprehensive and culturally sensitive long-term support plays an important role in strengthening both.

Some overall conclusions and recommendations:

• Swedish state institutions in direct contact with displaced communities are encouraged to build partnerships with NGOs, thereby expanding service outreach and improving responses to the needs of displaced communities. They are also encouraged to organize public awareness campaigns for displaced communities focused on mental health.
• Mental health support should be incorporated into education and integration programmes for Ukrainian TPD holders and other displaced populations.
• Trauma-sensitive screening should be introduced at early contact points, such as language schools, employment services, and social support centres, and frontline professionals should be equipped with comprehensive, hands-on training.
• Swedish and EU decision-makers should acknowledge that as TPD offers short-term status without a clear path to permanence, for many Ukrainians it can cause uncertainty that worsens mental health and disrupts integration. The legal frameworks should therefore support long-term inclusion of vulnerable groups.

About the authors

This Policy Brief was initiated by the NGO Help Ukraine Gothenburg (HUG). The authors of this Policy Brief, Viktoriia Svidovska (PhD in Pedagogical Sciences) and Yaroslava Shven (PhD in Psychology), are both involved in the Better You&Me project by HUG and have extensive backgrounds within psychology. Svidovska is currently a researcher and mental health coach, and Shven is a team leader for mental health coaches and methodologist at HUG since 2023.